We're a husband and wife design team located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. We draw inspiration from nature around us, Colonial Craftsmanship, and Danish Modern/MCM influences to create a colorful fusion we call Virginia Modern.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Wonderland as Muse in Furniture and Accessory Design

Using Fantasy and Playful Proportion in Decor

As part of my research into Alice Muse week, I wanted to see what was out there, what had already been designed in terms of furniture and accessories that would decorate a Wonderland themed room, but I didn’t want it to be too Disney, too sickly sweet. I love Disney and Pixar work, but I don’t necessarily want to live in rooms that are too old school Disney, if you know what I mean. On the other hand, I love the idea of rich, dreamy, crazy, extreme décor. What to do?

As a starting point, Yancey and I brainstormed about elements in Alice décor – tea parties, hearts, flowers, Burtonesque tendrils, gardens, flower colors, checkerboard and mix and match patterning, blood red for the Bloody Red Queen, along with black and white, which goes so well with bloody red, playing cards and card symbology, pink flamingos, chess pieces...

A couple of designers come to mind including Miles Redd, Betsey Johnson, the works of MacKenzie-Childs, Aqua Creations, Dale Chihuly, Tracy Porter tablescapes, Shabby Chic. The art of James Christensen also comes to mind.

Bottom line, there is so much to spin a story from in terms of home décor and clothing. What follows is a sampling of what I’ve found so far.